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iNorxn Carolina Mate LiDrary
RaleiRh
A SPECIAL REPORT SERIES BY THE N.C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, DIVISION OF
HEALTH SERVICES, STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, P.O. BOX 2091, RALEIGH, N.C. 27602
No. 35 June,1985
UPDATE ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF AMERICAN
INDIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Prepared for
North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs
by
Kathryn B. Surles
As in 1979 (1) and 1982 (2), the State Center for
Health Statistics has undertaken analysis of race-specific
sociodemographic, natality, mortality, and morbidity
data focusing on the relative status of the state's American
Indian residents. In addition to this report, which pur-ports
to highlight findings for the information of other
researchers interested in the health status of N.C. race
groups, additional data for 20 counties (those having 300
or more Indian residents in 1980) have been provided to
the Commission of Indian Affairs.
In past projects for the Commission, existing data were
heavily utilized, one result being that we were unable to
study infant mortality in relation to underlying infant and
maternal characteristics. In the current effort, we have
concentrated our efforts in the utilization of the linked
infant death and birth records in order to study outcomes
for various subgroups of the 1 979-83 birth cohort. Thus,
some of the material in this report represents entirely new
information relative to infant health among the state's
Indian population.
As discussed at length in the previous report (2), race-identity
patterns appear to have changed significantly dur-ing
the 1 970s and to have affected dissimilarly the numer-ators
(births, deaths, etc.) and denominators (population
counts) of vital statistics rates. Hence, population-based
rates for Indians are not reliable and hence are not utilized
in this report.
In most of the tables of this report, data are shown
separately for reservation and nonreservation Indians; the
former are comprised of Indians residing in Graham,
Jackson, and Swain counties. Due to the statistical prob-lem
of small numbers of events, many of the rates
—
particularly single-year rates for Indians—may be asso-ciated
with large random errors.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
At the time of the 1980 Census, residents reporting
race as American Indian numbered 64,536 and accounted
for 1.1% of the total N.C. population. Fifty-five percent
lived in Robeson County and accounted for 35% of that
county's population. Another 8.2% lived in the Cherokee
Reservation counties of Graham, Jackson and Swain.
Other counties with sizable Indian populations include
Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Jackson, and Scotland.
(2)
For the purposes of this report, health indicators from
the 1980 Census (3-5) have been grouped according to
the nature of the sociodemographic characteristic
reported. In some cases, the Census has reported data for
American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts as a group, but as
shown in Table 1, the number of Eskimos and Aleuts is
extremely small, accounting for less than 0.2% of the
combined group.

iNorxn Carolina Mate LiDrary
RaleiRh
A SPECIAL REPORT SERIES BY THE N.C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, DIVISION OF
HEALTH SERVICES, STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, P.O. BOX 2091, RALEIGH, N.C. 27602
No. 35 June,1985
UPDATE ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF AMERICAN
INDIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Prepared for
North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs
by
Kathryn B. Surles
As in 1979 (1) and 1982 (2), the State Center for
Health Statistics has undertaken analysis of race-specific
sociodemographic, natality, mortality, and morbidity
data focusing on the relative status of the state's American
Indian residents. In addition to this report, which pur-ports
to highlight findings for the information of other
researchers interested in the health status of N.C. race
groups, additional data for 20 counties (those having 300
or more Indian residents in 1980) have been provided to
the Commission of Indian Affairs.
In past projects for the Commission, existing data were
heavily utilized, one result being that we were unable to
study infant mortality in relation to underlying infant and
maternal characteristics. In the current effort, we have
concentrated our efforts in the utilization of the linked
infant death and birth records in order to study outcomes
for various subgroups of the 1 979-83 birth cohort. Thus,
some of the material in this report represents entirely new
information relative to infant health among the state's
Indian population.
As discussed at length in the previous report (2), race-identity
patterns appear to have changed significantly dur-ing
the 1 970s and to have affected dissimilarly the numer-ators
(births, deaths, etc.) and denominators (population
counts) of vital statistics rates. Hence, population-based
rates for Indians are not reliable and hence are not utilized
in this report.
In most of the tables of this report, data are shown
separately for reservation and nonreservation Indians; the
former are comprised of Indians residing in Graham,
Jackson, and Swain counties. Due to the statistical prob-lem
of small numbers of events, many of the rates
—
particularly single-year rates for Indians—may be asso-ciated
with large random errors.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
At the time of the 1980 Census, residents reporting
race as American Indian numbered 64,536 and accounted
for 1.1% of the total N.C. population. Fifty-five percent
lived in Robeson County and accounted for 35% of that
county's population. Another 8.2% lived in the Cherokee
Reservation counties of Graham, Jackson and Swain.
Other counties with sizable Indian populations include
Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Jackson, and Scotland.
(2)
For the purposes of this report, health indicators from
the 1980 Census (3-5) have been grouped according to
the nature of the sociodemographic characteristic
reported. In some cases, the Census has reported data for
American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts as a group, but as
shown in Table 1, the number of Eskimos and Aleuts is
extremely small, accounting for less than 0.2% of the
combined group.